Is the Law of Attraction in the Bible?
Yes and No. The principle of the Law of Attraction is in the Bible. The principle is setting my mind on what the Spirit desires (Romans 8:5). This is the "how" of living by the Spirit. I can focus my attention and say, "Holy Spirit, you desire that I receive recognition at work." No action required. If I'm setting my mind, then I am living by the Spirit. I am practicing the law of attraction. Something will materialize or “manifest” — an award, a public thank you, or a promotion. It's a matter of when not if. But every great lie has a seed of truth to it. For most, practicing the law of attraction heightens consciousness of the spiritual without ostensible harm. For a few, it is a gateway toward a deception that exalts the self-centered mindset. The missing ingredient between self-centered and God-centered is whether the person of the Holy Spirit acts as the spiritual force in your heart. In this article, I will expand on 4 key questions:
What is the Law of Attraction and what are the Bible verses that support it?
Does practicing the Law of Attraction conflict with Christian living?
How can the Law of Attraction lead me away from experiencing the true love of God?
What is the slippery slope of practicing the Law of Attraction?
What is the Law of Attraction and what are the Bible verses that support it?
The law of attraction is a principle that "positive thoughts attract positive experiences and negative thoughts attract negative experiences." Some believe it is because people and thoughts are made of pure energy, and "like energy" attracts "like energy" — similar to a magnet. Across the internet, supporters of the Law of Attraction will make the case that it is all over the Bible. This is false. Proponents take biblical stories and references piecemeal, and like a square peg into a round hole, try to make it fit into a larger system of beliefs related to the Law of Attraction.
Rather than spend energy on dispelling false teachings, let's keep it simple and look at Romans 8:5,6:
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
So there it is. The link between experiencing (live accordingly) and thoughts (minds set) which can be either the toward the negative (flesh) bringing death or toward the positive (Spirit) bringing life and peace.
Does practicing the Law of Attraction conflict with Christian living?
Yes. The law of attraction is incompatible with Christian living because being a follower of Jesus Christ is based on a personal relationship. I am following a person, who lived, died, and was resurrected. If you're skeptical about the whole resurrection thing, you're in good company (but that's for another article). At the heart of the matter, however, is whether our lives are governed by (i) something impersonal — the universe or (ii) someone — the Holy Spirit. The law of attraction is a principle that can work with many religious beliefs. But a law or principle or an explanation on how the universe works or how God works, detracts from the Holy Spirit's person-hood. A person is unpredictable. He or she cannot be reduced to principles. Like Aslan in The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe, God is wild. Christ cannot be tamed, predicted, or reduced.
Practicing the law of attraction is not the same as living by the Spirit. I need two things to live by the Spirit: (i) to set my mind on what the Spirit desires and (ii) to have the Holy Spirit living inside me (Romans 8:9). Without the Holy Spirit living inside me, which occurs when we identify ourselves with Jesus' sacrifice for humanity in obedience to God, we remain ego-centric beings. I was a Christian long before I was living by the Spirit. I didn't understand the importance of setting my mind on what the Spirit desires. I encourage the principle behind the law of attraction that is in Romans 8:5,6 to fellow Christ-followers. In your quiet times, say, “Holy Spirit, you desire….” fill in the blank and set your mind on what the Spirit desires.
To practice the law of attraction without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is equivalent to having the "gift of all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love." Without love, such a person is nothing (1 Corinthians 13: 2).
How can the Law of Attraction lead me away from experiencing the true love of God?
No ostensible harm. But the hidden harm is to be lukewarm. It allows the practitioner to dabble in the mystical and spiritual, providing a sense of connection to the universe, spirituality, and the God of our understanding. But it keeps us eating crumbs when there is a love feast waiting at God's table. When I became sick and tired of “being sick and tired,” and when life's pain brought me to my knees, I persevered beyond the truths in the Bible to meet the person behind it all. If you come to the table, you will see a place is already prepared for you. Your name card is on it. It says Beloved.
What is the slippery slope in practicing the Law of Attraction?
I heard a story of a person who started with the Law of Attraction. From there she went to crystals and energy healing. More and more toward new age practices and beliefs. Through it all, what started out as self-centered became self-exaltation claiming equality with the divine. Another person I know, gave her life and will over the care of her "spirit guides." She accepted an unknown spiritual force into her heart, a counterfeit to the altar call experience of accepting Jesus as her Lord and Savior. The unknown spiritual force kills the soul and overtakes the self, killing identity and individuality. You don't have to believe in actual demons. Demons are like thoughts. And thoughts are deadly when they are lies about yourself, others, God, and reality. She hated herself, others, and God. She claimed superiority to the world, but inside she felt worthless.
But God... The Holy Spirit reached down in a supernatural way to pull her up from a great deception. Her story, and countless others, are all over the internet.
Personalized Journey
If you liked this post, here is suggestion for a 5-day plan:
Day 1 — Read Living By the Spirit (this will reinforce what you are reading here)
Day 2 — Read Walking By the Spirit (I hope you encounter God here)
Day 3 — Read this "Is the Law of Attraction the Bible?” post again (are you eating crumbs when there is a feast?)
Day 4 — Written work:
Take out your journal or a fresh sheet of paper. Number the paper from 1 to 7.
Then go down the line and write, “Holy Spirit, you desire that…”
Take 3 to 5 minutes to pray, meditate, and be mindful.
Finally, write down what comes to mind on what the Holy Spirit desires on the sheet of paper.
Day 5 — Compare notes with me. Here’s what I got the first time I received it. Read it and drop me a comment.
